


The Little Merman

by good_mythical_miles



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Fluff, M/M, merman au, merman link, prince rhett
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-18
Updated: 2015-10-18
Packaged: 2018-04-27 01:03:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5027725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/good_mythical_miles/pseuds/good_mythical_miles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Link is a merman and Rhett is a prince. Link’s best friends are a cuttlefish named Herb and a miniature seahorse named Lloyd.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Little Merman

Link awoke from his deep slumber, gently being rocked to and fro by the soft ocean current. He sat himself up on his favorite rock and looked around. The kelp was swaying softly and small fish were swimming in and out of sight. Just like every other morning, with one quick flick of his tail, he was up and swimming in the direction of the table where his friends ate breakfast every morning. “Seaweed again?” he whined.

With a full mouth, his friend Jake mumbled, “Shut up, twerp. It’s good!”

“Link! Good morning!” A younger mermaid with long, flowing red hair swam over.

He sighed. “Hi, Ariel. What is it?”

“Do you want to play with me today?”

“Sorry. I have big plans.”

“Like what?”

“I can’t tell you. It’s secret.”

She pouted and swam away. “She’s so obnoxious!” Jake said.

“Don’t say that. She’s just young and immature. She’ll grow up.”

“So, what’s this secret? You’re not thinking about going to the surface, are you?”

“No way,” Link lied. “I’m just going for a fun swim with Lloyd and Herb.”

“Lloyd and Herb?” Jake gave Link a confused look, before remembering who the names belonged to. “Ooooh, your buddies…that weird, spastic cuttlefish and the bummer of a mini seahorse, right?”

“Yeah, that’s them.”

“Why do you hang out with them and not all of other mermen? You need some real friends.”

“They are my real friends, Jake.”

“Whatever.”

Link stuck his tongue out and swam away. He wasn’t very hungry. The knots from excitement in his stomach were far too overpowering. He swam as quickly as he could to the small hole that he knew belonged to Herb. “Herb!” he called. “Herb, are you ready to go on our adventure!?”

The small little creature rushed out into the open water. “Link! Link!” he squeaked. “I missed you, Link!” The small cuttlefish darted into Link’s hair, causing the young man to giggle. He grasped his tiny friend and held him in front of his face.

“We were just playing last night!”

“Is Lloyd coming with us?”

“He sure is! Let’s go find him.”

“Lloyd is such a slowpoke. He’s gonna slow us down!”

“He can ride on my tail or something.”

“CAN I RIDE ON YOUR TAIL, TOO?”

“Sure, Herb. You can both ride on my tail.”

The hyper little cuttlefish swam in excited circles around Link. “Let’s get Lloyd and play!”

Link grinned and twisted around so that his tail was next to his little friend. The small, yellow cuttlefish managed to get himself onto the merman’s tail. Link twirled around and swam deeper into the kelp. “Do you know where he is?” asked Link, turning his head to look at his friend.

“He can’t be far from his favorite seagrass bed!”

Link nodded and kept going in the same direction. “Lloyd, are you around here somewhere?”

“Hey there, friend!” a small voice came from below.

“Lloyd, are you still good with going on that adventure?”

“Oh, of course! Where’s Herb?”

“RIGHT HERE!” the squeaky voice said from behind him.

Link turned around to show Lloyd his tail. “Hold on, bud.”

“Do I have to?”

“You’re way too slow. It’ll take us days to get to where we’re going otherwise.”

“Fine. Are you sure this is a good idea, though, Link?”

“Lighten up, Lloyd.”

“But, Link! Going to the surface is dangerous!”

“I have to see what that world looks like. I don’t see how anybody can be content not knowing what else is out there!”

“Yeah, Teeny! Don’t be a party pooper!” Herb laughed.

“Herb, don’t call Lloyd ‘Teeny!’ You know he’s self-conscious about his size!” Link scolded.

“I’m sorry, Lloyd.”

“It’s alright.”

“You guys ready back there?” Link asked.

“We’re leaving? YAAAY!” Herb squealed.

“Yes, Link. We’re ready. But for the record, I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“Cool. This is gonna be fun.”

The merman did a somersault before speeding off in the opposite direction, his dark hair whisping around wildly in the water. He could hear excited little noises from the cuttlefish riding along behind him. Herb was always a blast to be around, but sometimes he needed Lloyd there too in order to balance out the energy. All three of them were outsiders in their respective communities, so naturally, they gravitated towards each other.

Link focused on nothing other than his surroundings, making sure he was staying on the path he had studied over the last couple of weeks. “Don’t worry, guys. We’re almost there!” Link could clearly sense the ocean getting shallower and shallower.

“What do you think legs, look like, Link?” Herb asked with anticipation.

“I don’t know, Herb! But we’re about to find out!”

“Do you think they have scales!?”

“I doubt it.”

“Awwww. Your scales are pretty though!” Link grinned at the energetic little cuttlefish’s compliment.

“Well, thanks Herb. You okay back there, Lloyd?”

“All good, Link. All good. You promise to be careful, right?”

“Of course, little buddy.”

“Don’t you dare let anybody see your tail.”

“I won’t! I just want to get a quick peek at the surface, and then we’ll go play in some kelp.”

“OH, CAN WE? PROMISE!?” Herb gasped.

“Definitely.”

Link suddenly came to a halt, his hair drooping in front of his eyes. When he brushed his dark, wet locks out of his eyes, both Herb and Lloyd were heading to the surface. Link followed closely behind. “Careful, Link!” Herb yelled as the merman passed him.

As soon as Link’s head broke the surface of the water, he gasped. The harsh sun warmed his skin. It felt amazing. There was a bustling city just a couple miles away. He couldn’t make out any features of the people, so when he dipped his head back under the water, he told his friends, “I need to get closer. I can’t see anything.”

“Link,” Lloyd warned, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“I already told you I’d be careful, Lloyd! You two wait here, okay?”

“Alright! Lloyd and I will have lots of fun!” Herb squeaked, swimming in circles around the little seahorse. The look in Lloyd’s eyes was clearly one of annoyance. Link chuckled before swimming away.

The closer he got to the docks, the slower he swam. He was beginning to get nervous. All his life, his elders had warned him about the dangers of going to the surface. Humans could, apparently, be pretty cruel. But Link figured they could also be pretty pretty. And he was right. He let his head break the surface once more, almost hitting his head on a piece of wood attached to the dock. Peeking between the boards above him, he made sure that nobody was walking around before moving to look around the structure. The first thing he noticed was a tall man walking around on a large ship. He couldn’t see his legs. Swimming around to the other side of the dock, he grasped the edges and hoisted himself high enough to see over the edge. Not only could he now see the man’s legs, but now he could see his face. Link’s heart skipped a beat. Humans were pretty. He was right. He looked around, spotting more and more humans. “Hm,” he thought, “at least that one human is pretty.” He gasped when he felt a small squishy thing bump into his tail. He dipped his head under the water and saw Herb swimming in circles.

“I thought you were going to stay with Lloyd!”

“I missed you, Link! What’s it like up there?”

“It’s amazing, Herb. Legs are so weird!”

“What do they look like?”

“They’re just like the merpeople’s tails, only split in half. And there aren’t flippers at the ends.”

“Do they have scales?”

“I can’t tell. They’re covered up.”

Herb looked disappointed. He had been asking Link about scales since he first asked him to join in on the adventure. “I guess I’ll never know.”

“Don’t worry, little guy! I’ll figure it out for you!”

When Link turned, he saw a flash of red dart across his face. He gasped and quickly realized it was Ariel. “Ariel, what are you doing here!? Go home! It’s dangerous out here!”

“Then why did you swim here?”

“Because I wanted to know what humans looked like.”

“Well, so do I!”

“You’re too young. Go home. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“I’m not leaving!”

Suddenly, there were heavy footsteps coming from above the dock. Link grabbed Ariel by the arm and pulled her into the dark shadows. He held a finger to her lips to get her to stay quiet. “Go home,” he mouthed silently. She looked like a deer in the headlights. Link could tell that she really wanted to see what was above the water, but she was beyond scared. She turned and swam away as quickly as she could.

“Is somebody down there?” a voice called from above.

Link gasped. “Herb, we really need to get out of here.”

“Aw, already?”

“Yeah. This way.” Link bolted in a completely different direction than the one they had come from.

“Where are you going? What about Lloyd!?”

“We’ll get him. We’re just taking a detour.”

Link stopped only when he was exhausted. “Link? Do you know where we are? I’m scared.”

“Don’t be. It’s okay.”

Link lifted his head above the water, not expecting anybody to be there. He hadn’t noticed that there was a boat in the area. “Oh my god!” a deep voice boomed from the deck of the boat. “What are you doing out here!? Are you okay?”

Link’s mouth hung open, not sure what he should do. The bearded man clearly hadn’t seen his tail yet, and he was afraid that, if he moved, it would become visible. Almost immediately, Link recognized the man as the first human he saw back at the docks.

“Do you speak English?” the man asked hesitantly. “You look scared…”

“I’m… Um… I’m not supposed to be out here. I’m not supposed to be talking to your kind. I… I mean…”

“My kind? You mean the royal family? Because it’s fine. I hate that. I get lonely.”

“Royal family?”

“Oh. I thought you knew I was the prince. Nevermind. What’s your name?” The man kneeled down at the edge of the boat.

“Um… I’m Link.”

“Link. That’s an odd name. I’m Rhett.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Prince Rhett,” Link blushed. He felt Herb bumping into his tail under the water. “Quit it, Herb!” he whispered harshly under his breath.

“Who’s Herb?”

“Oh. Nothing. Nobody. It’s—“

“Oh. My. GOD!”

“What?”

The Prince stood and slowly backed away. “You… You have…” He held out a finger and pointed at Link. “You have a tail… What? You’re a… You’re a…”

Link could feel tears beginning to form in his eyes. He felt hurt and scared. The man was clearly afraid of him, and he always heard that humans could get dangerous when they’re afraid. Either that or he thought he was disgusting. He turned but the man told him forcefully to stop. “I said I wasn’t supposed to be talking to your kind. We’re not supposed to come near the surface.”

“Are you a mermaid?”

“MERMAN!” Link snapped.

“Wow, sorry. I guess that’s a yes, then?”

Link nodded. “Please don’t hurt me,” he whispered.

“Why would I hurt you?”

“We’re all told horror stories about humans while growing up. I just really wanted to see what the surface looked like. Herb is my friend. He’s a cuttlefish. He wanted to go on an adventure with me.”

“Herb the cuttlefish? And you can talk to him?”

“Yeah. He’s my best friend. Well, him and Lloyd. Lloyd is a tiny little seahorse.”

“Your best friends are a cuttlefish named Herb and a seahorse named Lloyd?”

Link dipped his head under the water and grasped onto Herb. “Hold your breath. You’re gonna see the surface.”

“YAAAAY!”

When Link popped his head back into the open air, he held Herb out for Rhett to see. “That’s Herb?”

“Yep. This is Herb.” Link put the creature back into the water.

“Tell him that he’s beautiful!” Herb squeaked.

“I’m not gonna say that!”

“Please!?”

Link rolled his eyes. Blushing, he mumbled, “Herb says you’re beautiful.”

Prince Rhett chuckled. “Do you think I’m beautiful too?”

“I… Um… I…”

“Why’d you even come here, anyway?”

“I wanted to see what legs looked like.”

“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”

“But, I don’t have legs…”

“You know what I mean.”

Link considered the man’s offer for a moment. He nodded. Grabbing onto the side of the boat, he swung his tail into the air. Rhett gasped loudly before Link let go again. “Sorry.”

“What? Link, your scales… The shades of blue and green… It’s magnificent. Mesmerizing, even…”

“You really think so?”

“Yeah.”

“Can I see your legs now, please?”

“Sure.” Rhett rolled up his pant legs. “Not very exciting.”

“WOW!” Link exclaimed, backing away quickly. “Hold on.” Link dipped his head into the water once more. “Herb, they don’t have scales!”

“REALLY!?”

“Yup!”

“What did you say?” Rhett asked.

“Herb wanted to know if humans had scales.”

“You two make quite the pair,” he laughed. “I need to get going, though. I’d love to see you again.”

Link giggled bashfully. “Sure, Prince.”

“Do you think you could come tomorrow?”

“I’ll try. Like I said, I’m not supposed to be anywhere near here.”

“Well, try your best.”

“I will.”

Link swam away from the boat quickly, Herb following closely behind. “LINK! LIIINK! WHAT IS HIS NAME?”

“His name is Rhett. He’s a prince!”

“REALLY!?”

“Yeah, really!”

“HE REALLY IS A PRETTY PRINCE! I LIKE HIM A LOT! HE’S NOT MEAN AT ALL!”

“We still have to keep this a secret, though. I’ll get in huge trouble if anybody finds out we were here.”

“Okay. Can I at least tell Lloyd everything that happened?”

“Yes, Herb. You can tell Lloyd.”

Later that night, Link was sitting on his favorite rock. He had arranged some old treasures that he found there, including an old mirror. He was sitting so that he was looking at his tail. “He thinks my scales are beautiful,” Link thought to himself. He had always felt like he was less-than-impressive compared to his fellow merpeople—especially the girls. But now that such a handsome man thought he was “magnificent,” his heart was full of joy.

Over the next week, Link would spend quite a bit of time out by the docks talking to his prince. They would each tell stories about their own worlds. After one of these meetings, Lloyd met up with Link at his rock. “Link, I’ve been worried about you.”

“Why?”

“You’ve been spending a lot of time out by the surface.”

“I’m fine, Lloyd. Prince Rhett really likes me. And I really like him. I think I’m in love!”

“What!? You’re in love with a human? A MALE human!?” Link nodded. “That’s not good. You’re going to get yourself into trouble.” Link rolled his eyes, ignoring the seahorse. “I’m worried about you.”

“Don’t be.”

“We both know this won’t end well.”

“Just go home, Lloyd. I don’t need this right now.”

The seahorse gave Link one last warning before swimming off. Just then, a mermaid swam in, floating in space right above Link’s rock. Her hair was the color of charcoal. Her skin was as pale as a ghost. Link had never seen this woman before. “Who are you?” he asked.

“You may call me Eno.”

“Eno, who are you? What are you doing here?”

“I know what you’ve been up to, little one.”

“Little one? I’m the same size as you…”

“But not nearly as old. I’ve seen a lot of things, Link.”

“You know my name?”

“I also know that you’ve fallen for a human. And I can help.”

“What do you mean?” Link asked, his mouth hanging open.

“I can give you legs. I can make you human.”

Link didn’t know what to say. His mind was spinning. Images of him running around and dancing with the prince flashed through his mind. But amidst those pleasant thoughts, he also pictured leaving behind Lloyd and Herb. Herb would be heartbroken. “I… I don’t know about that…”

“You can have a trial run. Three days with legs. If you bring me a small meteorite and a pearl, I will cast the spell.”

“WHAT!? A meteorite? That’s impossible!”

“I’ll be back tomorrow night. If you have these items, you will get your legs.” With that, she swam off, leaving Link in a daze.

Link barely slept at all that night, and when he finally did doze off, he was almost immediately awoken by a hyper little Herb swimming in and out of the kelp. “LINK! WAKE UP! I WANNA PLAY!”

The merman sighed, sitting up on his rock. After a moment, he remembered the conversation he had had the night before. “Do you want to go on another adventure?”

“Are we going back to the surface?”

“Nope. Now we’re going on a scavenger hunt.”

“YAY! What are we looking for?”

“A pearl and a meteorite.”

“A METEORITE!?”

“Yes, Herb. A meteorite. Could you calm down a bit? I just woke up, buddy.”

“Sorry!” Herb turned and swam off at full speed. “Let’s go!”

Once Link caught up with his tiny friend, he asked, “Where are you going?”

“I dunno. But I’m gonna find you a meteorite if it’s the last thing I do! What do you need it for, anyway?”

“A mermaid named Eno visited me last night. She said if I brought her a pearl and a meteorite, she’d give me legs!”

Herb stopped in his tracks. “Legs? BUT LINK! If you get legs, you can’t play with me anymore!”

Link had never seen Herb look so hurt. “It’s okay, Herb. She said that I can have my legs for three days, and if I don’t like them, I can come back.”

“But, Link! What if you do like them? What if Prince Rhett doesn’t let you leave!?”

Link sighed. “That’s not gonna happen.”

Before Link could say anything else, Herb darted down towards the sand. “IS THIS A METEORITE, LINK?”

He had never seen anything like this stone peeking out of the ocean floor. He picked it up and held it in front of his face, squinting. “If this isn’t one, then I don’t know what is.”

“I think Lloyd has a pearl!”

“We’re not asking him.”

“Why not?”

“He can’t know what I’m planning on doing.”

“Will he get mad?”

“Really mad, Herb. You can’t tell him. Promise?”

“I promise.”

It only took a couple of hours for Link to find a pearl. He went back to his rock, Herb following. He sat and studied the two shiny objects he had retrieved. He almost screamed when the ghostly mermaid had returned. “What are you doing here already?”

“Well, you’ve got the items now, so why waste time?”

“Can you really give me legs?”

“That I can, boy. Hand those over,” she muttered, reaching out for the meteorite and pearl.

Link slowly held his hand out, hesitating. “This is just a trial, right?”

“Correct.”

“Okay.” Link dropped the two items into the mermaid’s hand.

She laughed and looked at Link’s tail. She began chanting words that he couldn’t understand. There was a flash of green light, and he heard Herb scream from somewhere behind him. He had a weird tingling sensation in his tail. Before he could say or do anything, he blacked out.

*~*~*~*~*

Link’s eyes flashed open in a panic. He was choking…on water? That never happened. He was blinded by the harsh sun, his skin burning against the hot sand. The first thing that caught his eye was the prince he had befriended. “Rhett?” he croaked.

“Link, what happened?”

“What?”

“Your tail…”

Link sat up and almost fainted. He had legs. Human legs. He wiggled them and his jaw dropped. “She was telling the truth,” he whispered.

“Who? What?”

“I met a creepy mermaid who said she was following me to our meetings. I told her I loved you and then she said she’d give me legs if I brought her a couple of items.”

“Wait. Did you just say you love me?”

“Oh. Rhett, I—“

The man stood up and held out his hand. “Come with me. Did you even notice that you’re naked?”

“What?” Link looked down at his body and blushed furiously. “Oh. I… Where are you taking me?”

“Back to the castle. You can borrow some of my things.”

Link tilted his head and smiled. He grasped the prince’s hand and stood. He didn’t know how to use his legs yet, so he fell flat on his face. Rhett helped him up and supported all of the man’s weight. It took a long time, but eventually, Rhett had gotten Link into his room without anybody noticing. “Um… Prince?”

“Why do you keep calling me that?” Rhett asked the shorter man, sitting him down on the bed and opening a drawer.

“Because you’re the prince…”

“Call me Rhett. I’m pretty sure I told you that already.”

“Sorry.”

“Well, what is it?”

“I just wanted to ask why you were doing this…giving me your clothes…bringing me here…”

“I want you to have somewhere to stay. If I don’t take you in, who knows what’ll happen to you.”

“But I’m not a merman anymore. So humans will be nice to me!”

“I hate to break it to you, but humans can be cruel to other humans, too.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. Now here, put these on.” He handed an outfit to Link. “They’re the clothes I wear when I want to blend in and not look like part of the royal family. It’s obviously difficult because of my stature, but it works.”

“Thank you so much, Pri—Rhett.”

Link clothed himself quickly. Just as he was about to say something, his stomach growled. “You need some food. What do you like?”

“Um… Well, we usually eat seaweed…”

“Ew! Are you serious?”

“Yeah…”

“Well, I don’t have any of that here. What else would you like?”

Link shrugged. “I don’t know what your kind eats.”

“I’ll bring you back something. Just stay here.” The bearded man winked and left the room, closing his door behind him quietly.

Link stood from the bed carefully. He needed to get used to his new legs if he was going to survive on land. He wobbled quite a bit, but managed to get around Rhett’s bedroom. Everything was incredibly fascinating to him. He had never seen (or heard of) a lot of the items littering the man’s room. He jumped with a start when the door opened behind him. An unfamiliar—yet satisfying—scent filled the room.

“What’s that?” Link asked, pointing to the plate in the other man’s hand.

“Chicken.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a bird.”

“That doesn’t look like a bird…” Link raised an eyebrow.

Rhett chuckled and said, “It’s just the leg, silly. Come on, take a bite.”

Link took the chicken leg and sniffed it before taking a small nibble. His eyes widened. “Are you sure this is a bird?”

“Definitely. Why?”

“It’s delicious!” He took a huge bite. With his mouth full, he mumbled, “Is there more of this?”

“A lot more. Let’s sit and talk before I get you any more, though.”

“Alright.”

“So,” Rhett began, sitting on the bed next to Link, “since you’re human now, how is your friendship with Herb and Lloyd going to work?”

Link put the leg of chicken down and frowned. “Well, I didn’t tell Lloyd what I was going to do. As for Herb, he helped me find the items that the mermaid needed and was upset. The last thing I remember before waking up on the beach was him screaming.”

“Oh no. Link, that’s awful.”

“Well, I didn’t tell you. The mermaid lady said that this was just a trial. I only get my legs for a few days, and when that time is up, I can decide whether or not to keep them.”

“What do you think you’re going to decide?”

“I’m not sure yet. The food here sure is amazing.”

Rhett laughed. “I’m sure it’s a lot better than seaweed.”

“I already miss Herb though.”

“That’s understandable.”

“It’s not fair,” Link sighed.

“Cheer up, buddy. Everything will work itself out.”

Link rested his head on Rhett’s shoulder. “I hope so.”

Rhett gripped the sides of Link’s face with his hands and, much to Link’s surprise, kissed him gently on the mouth. “Whether you choose to stay or not, I’ll always be your Prince Charming.”

Link pulled away in a complete daze. His eyes were wide and his mouth hung slightly open. His brain had stopped functioning. He blinked a few times before whispering, “You kissed me. Does that mean the same thing up here as in the ocean?”

“It means that I love you too, Link.”

This sentence brought tears to Link’s eyes. “I’m glad I broke the rules and came to the surface. I’m a loser back home. So are Herb and Lloyd. That’s why we were friends.”

“I can’t picture you as a loser.”

“Rhett, I have to choose between you and my two friends… They need me. Herb can barely last one night without getting sad and lonely.”

Rhett sighed. “I don’t know what to tell you, Link…”

“There must be something we could do…”

Rhett jumped off of the bed with a grin. “I KNOW! We could get a fish tank!”

“A what?”

“It’s a glass box that humans keep fish in as pets.”

“Herb and Lloyd aren’t pets! They’re friends, Rhett!” Link looked offended.

“I realize that, but it’ll give them a place up here that they can be with you.”

“I like the idea and all, but… How would I get them?”

Rhett sat down again, deep in thought. “It’s getting late. Let’s sleep on it.”

“Sleep on what?”

“The idea.”

“How do you sleep on an idea?”

“It… Nevermind. Come on, get in bed.”

“But Rhett, this is your bed!”

“That’s alright. I can sleep somewhere else.”

“No, I can’t do that to you. Let me sleep somewhere else.”

“Okay. There’s a guest room right next door. Let’s go.”

Rhett held Link by the arm to help him walk. As promised, there was a large room next to Rhett’s with a huge bed in it. Quite impressed, Link mumbled, “Thank you again.”

“You’re welcome.” Rhett kissed Link on the forehead and said, “If you need anything, I’m right on the other side of the wall. Sleep well.” Link smiled and closed the door.

He wasn’t sure how long it had been, but it felt like hours. He couldn’t sleep. He had already cried once, feeling extremely guilty for leaving Herb. He knew Lloyd could make it without him just fine, but not Herb. Link was Herb’s only true friend. Now, every slight noise that he heard, whether it was a creak from inside or a bang from outside, Link was startled. He didn’t hear this sort of thing when he was back home. The land was too overwhelming.

Link couldn’t stand it anymore. He carefully crawled out of the massive bed and wobbled to Rhett’s door. He opened it quietly and whispered, “Rhett? Are you awake?”

“Link, what is it?” he croaked, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

“Can I stay in here with you? I’m scared.”

“Oh, Link. Come here.” Rhett held out his arms.

Link slowly approached the bed, tripping a couple of times. He crawled into the bed next to the prince and rested his head on his chest. “Thank you,” he whispered for the millionth time.

Over the next couple of days, the two men wandered the city. Rhett was teaching Link everything he possibly could about the world outside of the ocean. Link had an endless supply of questions and Rhett had an endless supply of answers. Every meal, Rhett would give Link a new dish to try. He loved every single one, clearing his plate.

One day, the two men were sitting on the beach side by side and enjoying the warm sun and the cool breeze. “It sure is beautiful up here,” Link sighed.

“I wish I could see your home.”

Link screamed in shock. The mermaid was back. Only barely still in the water, she said, “How do you like your legs, boy?”

“Oh my god!” Rhett gasped.

“Eno! I… It’s amazing up here, but…”

“But what?”

“I miss Herb and Lloyd.”

“Well, decide. Legs or tail?”

“Can we negotiate?”

“What do you mean?”

“Can you bring me my friends so I can still be with them and keep my legs? Please?”

“That could be complicated.”

“Would you be able to have me be able to communicate with them again!?”

Eno sighed deeply. “Well, you did bring me that meteorite… I really only needed the pearl, so I guess I could try to pull something off.”

Link leaped into the air. “REALLY!?”

“Yes,” the mermaid sighed. “Just give me a day or two.”

“Thank you Eno, thank you so much!”

Link darted into the water so he could hug her. However, as soon as he reached the woman, she darted off into the depths of the ocean. He turned around and looked at Rhett with a huge grin. “I GET TO SEE HERB AND LLOYD AGAIN! AND I’LL BE ABLE TO TALK TO THEM!”

Rhett jumped up and ran into the water, picking Link up in a big hug and spinning him around. “I’m so happy for you. This is going to be amazing.”

*one month later*

“Rise and shine, Linkster!”

“Good morning, Rhett!”

“LIIIIINK! I MISSED YOU!” a squeaky shout came from across the room.

“Herb, calm down,” Lloyd growled.

Link hopped out of bed and skipped to the tank that held his two friends. He submerged a hand into the water and petted the small cuttlefish, who made a quiet purring noise.

“I’m so glad you were able to get them back, Link,” Rhett said with a sincere grin. “Herb is really fun to be around.”

“DO YOU MEAN THAT, MR. PRINCE!?”

“I do mean that, little guy.”

“YAAAAY!” Herb spun in circles around the mini seahorse.

Rhett chuckled. “Let’s go downstairs for breakfast, darling.”

Link giggled softly and hugged the taller man. Rhett leaned down and kissed Link, his beard tickling his chin. He took his hand and led him to the dining room to get some waffles.


End file.
